Sunday, 25 December 2011

Christmas Presents and Beauty Goodies

My husband and mother just arrived in time to spend the Christmas together. Coming respectively from London and Singapore, they brought along a wonderful bounty of beauty lovelies for me, including presents as well as my own purchases. Many thanks to Mag who kindly helped me to purchase the Lunasol Modelling Cheeks EX03 Coral Pink Red from the Tender Glow holiday collection and the new Guerlain Meteorites. I've barely made a dent in the other three Meteorites that I own but the deep teal packaging of the Perles de Nuit Meteorites was too lovely to resist. Mag also surprised me with a gift of MAC Paint Pot in Genuine Treasure, which looks simply divine. During an earlier ASOS.com sale, I ordered NARS Outremer eyeshadow. It doesn't have the best texture but the bold cobalt is incredibly striking. Rimmel Glam'Eyes Quad Eye Shadow 021 State of Grace Paul & Joe Nail Enamel 018 The City Never Sleeps from the Manhattan collection. My dear husband made an expedition to Boots to help me snag some Soap & Glory makeup. Love the cheerful pink packaging! Also from Boots, the Liberty x Hello Kitty brush set and umbrella. An Accessorize charm bracelet/watch from ASOS.com.From my husband's cousin, I received Clinique Complete Happiness, a set of five Happy fragrances in the original version, plus Happy Heart, Happy In Bloom, A Hint of Citrus and A Wealth of Flowers. It's been many years since I wore Happy but it still works wonders in lifting one's spirits! The new Jill Stuart mook comes with a vanity case and flat zip pouch. The material is similar to that of the cosmetics case that was included with last year's mook. I didn't like the "J" charms on the zips as they are a tad too small with edges that poke the skin when one is trying to unzip the case. It is incredibly roomy and deep, which makes it more suitable for storing skincare bottles. In it, I could fit two 500ml bottles of Bioderma, an Avene Thermal Water spray, two small Lush shower gels, a L'Occitane face mist and a Vichy eye makeup remover. The Majolica Majorca Voyage mook is the most elaborate and beautifully designed mook I've come across. Filled to the brim with makeup tutorials divided into chapters like "State of Potions", "United Stars" and "Mask-land", it comes with a small plastic gold hand mirror and a shimmery gel that can be used on the face and lips. As Yumeko has remarked, the mirror is a disappointment as it is very light with a tinny sound when tapped. Nevertheless, the mook itself is very nicely done, although I wish they had included more of the brand's history through a retrospective of the past seasonal collections. As this is not available at Kinokuniya in Singapore, I had to order it from Amazon Japan.Lee magazine with a Liberty print zip pouch and a lovely Flowers in Pink calendar. Lee had released a similar calendar and Liberty print accessories in its January 2010 issue last December. And finally, a boxful of Lush goodies! Wishing everyone a merry Christmas filled with lots of laughter, warmth and love!

Hi Nina,Merry xmas to you too! Perhaps you can try VPost Europe for ordering from Boots? I don't know if Boots accepts non-UK credit cards, so you may need to use the VPost concierge service to place the order for you if Boots does not accept Singapore credit cards.

Hi,The Perles de Nuit are not very shiny or frosty, they work well as a finishing powder even for daytime. They do not provide coverage but rather they help to make the skin look smoothet and more polished. The other shades available in the permanent line add a slight tint, so it depends on the effect that you want, e.g. a rosy glow or a brightening effect or a more healthy look.